Last Week Reminders

Greetings,Families!

We hope many of you had the chance to connect at the All School Picnic Friday night.

Here's what to expect and here are a few requests for the last week:

1. Please have your child bring 2-3 books to enjoy or the remainder of the week. We have had to pack up most of our books in the classroom :( so it would be wonderful if your child could bring in a couple of books to read during our silent reading time in the afternoon. 
2. Como Pool on Wednesday! Please help your child remember to bring the following: backpack, walking shoes, swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, packed lunch, and water bottle. They may also bring goggles or a life jacket (they will also supply life jackets at the pool). Please do not send pool toys or money.  
3. Clean up day on Thursday. The children will be helping with clean up around the room and they will be bringing home all of their work on Thursday. If you can, please send in an extra bag, just in case.  We will be spending the afternoon at the park on this day.
4. Noon Dismissal on Friday! Can you believe this is only 4 days away!? Please do not send a backpack or lunch on this day. They will be dismissed right from the ceremony.  The children will be gathering and dismissed from a designated spot (in our recess area), after the ceremony, so please come and pick up your child from this area if you are joining us for the ceremony.  

Wishing you all the best and more,

Nadine

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Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

Reminder for Tomorrow

Dear Families,

We are excited for a fun day outdoors tomorrow afternoon.  The seniors have been hard at work planning a Field Day for our elementary students.  Please remember to send along the following with your child:

-water bottle (if not already at school)

-good shoes for active play (a hat for good measure)

-sunscreen (please apply at home and feel free to send along if your child will reapply at school)

Thanks so much.  

Nadine

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Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

Work Share Reminders

Hello Wonderful Families,

It was lovely to see so many of you at work share last week and we look forward to seeing more families tomorrow afternoon for our second work share event.  The South door (to the elementary building) will be unlocked at 1:25.  We ask you to wait until this time to enter so classrooms can prepare and continue their afternoon work periods.  Also, we will be enjoying time outside, on the playground, after work share.  We ask you to join us there if you are waiting for a sibling.  Students will be dismissed at the regular time.  Please read here for a reminder on work share details this year.

We hare excited to welcome you tomorrow and have the children show you all they can do!

Thanks,

Nadine

PS-  In case your child is excitedly talking about our Mystery Guest today, here is a picture​

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​.  They really enjoyed it!

--

Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

Como Pool Correction

Hello Families,

I wanted to clarify a note from my most recent reminders.  The field trip to Como Pool is not optional, however, the donation is optional.  Hope this is more clear.  

Thanks

Nadine

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Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

Rice Creek Notes and Reminders

Hello Families,

We just have three notes and reminders for you today:

1. Como Pool - June 6th: Yesterday, we sent home permission slips with your children for our trip to Como Pool on Wednesday, June 6th.  It's an optional field trip, but please take a look at the form when you get the chance. 

2. Parent Appreciation Day: Due to lack of space, unfortunately, we have decided as a level that we will not be able to host parent appreciation day at school.  But keep an eye out for a little appreciation coming your way...

3. A note from the administration:

Dear Elementary Parents,

The end of the year is quickly approaching!  Many classrooms are planning off campus adventures and we want to make sure that families are aware of a safety protocol that was developed in elementary this year to ensure the safety of all students.

In order to participate in off campus activities, students must follow community norms.  If a student demonstrates a significant challenge to follow adult instructions that could lead to safety concerns, the student will remain on campus doing an alternate activity.

If there are safety concerns regarding your child, you will be contacted by your child's classroom guide.  Additionally, if behavior challenges happen while off campus, parents will be notified that there is a concern and the possibility that they will need to pick up their child.

We look forward to finishing off the year in ways that are joyful and safe for all students!

--

Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

Rice Creek Updates

Hi All,

Happy May!  We have enjoyed the sun and warmth with outdoor picnic lunches, garbage cleanup around the school, and extra time outside for community games.  We hope the warmer weather is providing some fun at home too.  Following are some reminders and important dates.

Events

May 7-11-Spirit Week :

PJ Monday: Wear your PJ's or comfy clothes! Make sure to wear something that covers your feet (Slippers, Shoes, Ect)

Rainbow Tuesday: Dress Up in as much of one color as possible. If you don't have all of one color wear as many different colors as possible. 

Wacky Wednesday: Go Crazy. Some Examples: Crazy Hairdos, Wear Clothes inside-out, mismatched colors, accessorize, ect.

Dress Up Like a Book Character Thursday: Dress up like your favorite book characters: Some Examples: Curious George, Dr Seuss Characters, Fancy Nancy, Hermione, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Tintin, Pippi Longstocking, Clementine, Narnia characters.

Formal Friday: Dress up Fancy! Some examples: Suits, Dresses, Ties, Suspenders.

  

May 10 and 17th (1:30-2:30pm sign up here)- LE Workshare

May 23rd- 2nd grade Going Out to Como Zoo

May 31-Field Day (an event put on by seniors for elementary students; more details to come)

June 5th-Parent Appreciation (details to come)

June 6th-Como Pool (permission slip to come home soon)

Notes:

Lost and Found will be cleaned and donated this Friday.  Missing something?  We will give children time to find their things this week, if needed.

Nadine

--

Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

Rice Creek Newsletter

Hello Dear Families,

We hope your time together as families was rejuvenating and full of connection.  We were happy to see bright, smiling faces this morning as the children reconnected, shared stories of their adventures, and got back into the flow of work.  We have some fun lessons planned this week to get motivated and energized.  First graders will be building land and water forms with salt dough clay (look for a recipe to come home this week in their Thursday folders), second graders will begin a large study of the Timeline of Life (a huge hit and and central to the Montessori curriculum), and third graders are eager to begin planting peas and grasses (as a part of their plant classification work).

Below are some coming events and reminders.  Remember school events can always be found on the GRS calendar and announcements blog.

• First Grade Families-Please return the timeline form (attached below) with your child tomorrow, so they may participate in lesson.  Thanks!
• Tuesday, April 10 (tomorrow)-MCA Reading Makeup (3rd-grade only)
  
• Wednesday, April 18th-MCA Math (3rd-grade only)
  
• Monday-Friday, Week of May 14th-Rising Up Day (3rd-grade only, visiting Upper Elementary)
• Please help your child remember to return with their indoor shoes and water bottle this week.
  
• A wish list of books we would love to have for our classroom.
• Some learning for us adults.
• Coming in mid-May is the Lower Elementary Work Share (details coming at the end of the week).

In Gratitude,

Nadine McNiff

--

Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

Notes from Rice Creek

Hello Rice Creek Families,

Just a couple of notes:

Yesterday, we had a school-wide lockdown drill with intruder where we practiced gathering in a hidden corner of the classroom with the doors locked.  Shortly before the drill, we had a discussion with the children about what this would look like and why we practice this type of drill. Basically, we let the children know that the guides' most important job is to keep all of them safe, and that practicing this type of drill allows us to make sure we have done all we can.  We wanted to let you know of this drill since it might bring up further questions at home, but also so you could even take the opportunity to have an intentional conversation with your child about this unfortunate reality (if you feel that would be appropriate). 
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.   

First grade students will be coming home with a sheet for families to fill out and return to school.  This is connected to work we are doing on making personal timelines.  Thanks so much for looking out for this in their folders.

Warm regards, 

Nadine

Rice Creek Newsletter_March 16th

Dear Rice Creek Families,

It was so wonderful to see so many of you these last two days.  It is a pleasure to sit with you and spend some time focusing on your child.  Our partnership builds community and fosters the very best for our students and we appreciate the time and dedication you show attending conferences.  As we move into the last months of the school year, and reflect back on how we have had opportunity to watch your child grow, rise to challenges, learn from one another, and build ever-stronger relationships and community we are extra appreciative of the time we get to spend with these lovely humans at this exciting and precious time in their lives.

As we head into the final months of school we will continue to work and grow as a community.  There is some big work on the horizon, in the form of Human Timeline studies, Timeline of Life research, building land and water formations, planting and growing a mini garden, and scientific classification of plants and animals.  With much of the work ahead of us, we look forward to heading into the warmer air and getting outside to learn.  We will also take some time to explore how diversity in our community creates rich beauty, and listen and honor one another's family stories.  You will find attached an interview form that will come home with your child next week.  Please take a look at this and reply with any questions or insight on how this fits your family experience.  There is no need to complete it and return it, as we hope you and your child can talk and fill it out together.  I simply wanted to give you a chance to see what will be coming home.

 

Thanks again and enjoy the weekend.

 

Nadine

http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/165_TT_Family_Ties_Fabric_Tales_Data_Sheet_6-12.pdf

 

 

--

Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

How Testing Fits into our Work at GRS

Hello All,

We hope this weekend finds you well.  I am writing to communicate some work that will be coming up for our third-year students, MCA testing, but thought it a good opportunity to share with our whole community how standardized testing fits into the big picture here at GRS.

As stated above, third-grade student will be taking Reading MCA tests on Monday.  There is no need to plan differently for this time.  Students will do this work during the morning work period.  Please see the words below, written by Erik Arke, to better understand how we recognize the importance of this work in context.

"The results of the test (i.e. "how the children score") is not important to us necessarily, but we want to help them feel confident about taking it.  We are well aware that these tests do not indicate the progress of the whole child, and this whole child is whom we educate at Great River.  The test is a very narrow window on who the child is, and even that window is distorted by the medium by which the data is gathered.  Nevertheless, we do some preparation, and we encourage the children to work their hardest and do their best on the test.  Placing pressure on them to do well would only result in anxiety.  If they ask you about it, please do not make it a big deal.  Perhaps ask them how they feel about it, and discuss whatever feelings they have.  The most important thing is for them not to feel that the results of the test will reflect who they are as a person.  The results will certainly not!"

Best,

Nadine McNiff

--

Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

Rice Creek Newsletter_February 23

Hello Rice Creek Families,

I wish you warmth and adventure as we head into this snowy winter weekend.  We have enjoyed a cozy few weeks here at school.  We were honored to have Joanna Chao and Grace share the traditions, stories, and foods of Chinese New Year.  The sharing of stories and traditions enrich our experiences and boaden our understandings.  We are grateful for the opportunities to celebrate the richness of our community together.  We had a great time at Dodge Nature Center as well, finding ourselves in appreciation of time to get out of the classroom together.  We hope you were able to enjoy time together as a family on Thursday and Friday.  

Staff and faculty took this time to invest in the valuable work of connecting as a community and thinking critically about how we can best invest in our work as educators.  As adults, the process of working and growing together is dynamic, requires listing and compromise, and brings to light our shared and varied goals and needs.  This is true for our children in the classroom as well.  Children striving to work together in our classroom community looks like: compromise, honesty, listening, advocating for needs,and sometimes disagreements or conflict.  Lower Elementary children are doing the hard work of balancing their own desires, needs, and perspectives with those of the community.  They are deeply invested in their friendships, hold bold and inventive ideas for their work, and are discovering who and how they are in a community of their peers.  This type of work is fundamental to their development, but can also get messy and difficult (just like when they were learning to feed themselves).  Children often recognize or define discomfort or conflict in social interactions as a friend being "mean" or "not my friend"; and, indeed, children are sometimes unkind or make mistakes in the face of conflict or heartache.  Recognition of this is not to say, however, that we as adults should ignore or accept unkindness, but instead, use it as an opportunity to teach and build skills.  This type of support guides our children in navigating difficulty social interactions, and is different than how we advocate for them in situations of abuse or bulling.  I have attached an article here that highlights some of the manifestations of this difficult, important work and what we can do as parents to guide our children. I hope it can be of some use to you and your family.

There is so much work happening and I have included some photos from the past weeks for you to enjoy.

Notes and Reminders:

MCA practice testing - 3rd grade students will get a chance to take a practice MCA test on Monday, February 26th.  The purpose is to give opportunity to familiarize themselves with the computer system, process, and testing language.  There is no need to plan differently for this day.  They will spend a little over an hour on this with the guidance of GRS staff and myself.

Noon Dismissal - Wednesday March 14th.  Look for transportation details to come from GRS Announcements.

Conferences - Thursday and Friday, March 15th and 16th.  Look for details on how to sign up to come from GRS Announcements.

Sheridan Story - A lime-green flier came home in your child's folder yesterday. Below is a message from Saleha Erdmann, or amazing elementary social worker, regarding this flier and how GRS is partnering with Sheridan Story.

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 Sheridan Story

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With Gratitude​​

Nadine

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Notes for Next Week_Rice Creek

Hello Families,

Here are some notes for events next week.  There is no need to plan differently, but wanted to pass on some special activities that will occur.  Thanks so much and please don't hesitate to ask if there are any questions.

• On Monday, February 12th we will be spending the day at Dodge Nature Center.  Please see my most recent Newsletter for details.  Layers, warm footwear, and  a hearty lunch are best for this day.  Thanks so much for helping make this a successful, comfortable for your child.
  

• On Wednesday, February 14th, we will be spending some time as a community in the afternoon to learn about the celebration of Chinese New Year.  We do this to honor the many stories of our Rice Creek families.  Thank you to Joanna Chao, who has agreed to share her expertise with us.  The children will have the opportunity to sample traditional dumplings and noodles during lunch time, read books and engage in various activities related to this festive celebration.  If your child feels inclined, they may wear red on this day! Please make sure your child has clothing for outdoor play, as usual.  We acknowledge that some families observe Valentine's Day on February 14th.  We do ask that you refrain from sending in cards or candy on this day.  We will take some time to read and reflect on how we can love ourselves, our community, and our earth.
  

Nadine

--

Nadine McNiff

Lower Elementary Guide

Great River School

1326 Energy Park Drive

651-305-2780

"The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behavior towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practiced to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind). 

Rice Creek Newsletter_February 5

Hello Rice Creek Families,

We hope mid-winter finds you well and enjoying your families.  January proved to be a cold month this year and seemed to go by quickly.  As February arrives the children continue to be hard at work and always ready for some outdoor play.  We continue to enjoy recess outdoors when the weather allows, and indoors as the weather requires .  I am always inspired by all the life and fun children find in the dead of winter, and thankful for the opportunity for cozy afternoons spent having indoor recess.  The big news this week is our upcoming field trip to Dodge Nature Center.  We'll be bussing there on February 12 for our annual all-day event, with both indoor and outdoor learning.  Here is the itinerary for the trip.  The bolded items are the outdoor classes.

First Years: Animal Tracks AND Reptiles and Amphibians
Second Years: Meet the Milk Makers* AND Life in the Cold (Adaptations)
Third Years: Bones! (Owl Pellets) AND Season's Hike

We are always impressed with the programming at Dodge and all that is reveled to the children in the quiet and stillness of winter.  We look forward to this trip and thank you in advance for helping your child layer-up for this day outside.  

We hope each of our families is able to come and observe in the coming months and witness the beauty and variety of classroom life.  You can find details for arranging a time to observe here.  The children will soon be busy with big work in Study of a Nation (3rd), Time Line of Life (2nd), and Land and Water Forms (1st).  It is also inspiring to watch how the children, in a variety of ways throughout the day, take ownership and responsibility for the running of the classroom and our routines.  Maria Montessori explains the importance of making room for children's autonomy and self-governance, "The child's development follows a path of successive stages of independence, and our knowledge of this must guide us in our behaviour towards him. We have to help the child to act, will and think for himself. This is the art of serving the spirit, an art which can be practised to perfection only when working among children." (The Absorbent Mind, p. 257).  It is our honor to witness the beautiful moments and hard-work your children do here, each and every day, and we hope you get a chance to come witness this beauty as well.

Important Dates:

NO SCHOOL-Thursday and Friday, February 15th and 16th. Faculty Retreat.

NO SCHOOL-Monday, February 19th.  Presidents Day.

Noon Dismissal-Wednesday, March 14th

Conferences-Thursday and Friday, March 15th and 16th

Warmest Wishes,

Nadine McNiff